Cotton Tufts to Abigail Smith

It was not forgetfulness, that prevented my writing. You must not ascribe to forgetfulness my
not writing to You for some time past, it was A Fear had a Letter from me at the Time
of Eruption and for some days after would have been disagreable. You must think, that
Distance of Place or Even Pain and Distress is not able to erase the tender Affection
which I have for my Friends and You my Dear have a right to my Affection in particular
having in the State of Childhood assisted You as a Physician for the same Reasons
mentiond in Yours that I have a Claim to Yours. I never design'd that You should have
{ 39 } open'd Pandora's Box, as such it seem'd to be to You. All I can say upon the Affair
is that if Your delicate Stomach receiv'd a gentle Heave, You must comfort yourself with the trite saying
“Pay for Peeping” (I do [not] know whether I spell the word right).

I think You are grown very good at Weymouth and extremely peaceable, and quiet. But
by this Time I believe You are full [of] News, and it will be a Wonder if a little Scandall dont drop—for I can assure You
there has been enough of it here in Town. Poor Wm. Greenleaf has been burnt, hang'd,
Gibbited and I dont now what—and I am apt to think but with very little Reason. Time
will perhaps discover something curious in this Affair.2

I saw Your Friend Yesterday and the day before. He will have the Disorder lightly,
for You must Note I am become Connoisseur in this Business.

1. Tufts' Diary (MS in MHi) states that after being inoculated on 28 March he had first felt the contagion on
7 April and that he first “went abroad” on the 15th. JA's letter to AA of 17 April reports a (presumably first) visit from Tufts on that day (the 17th). In the present
letter Tufts speaks of this visit as having occurred two days before he wrote AA.

2. The “Affair” of the adulterated calomel used in the smallpox hospital on Castle Island;
see JA to AA, 17 April, above.

Docno: ADMS-04-01-02-0031

Author: Adams, John

Recipient: Adams, Abigail

Date: 1764-04-26

John Adams to Abigail Smith

[dateline] Boston April 26th. 1764

Many have been the particular Reasons against my Writing for several days past, but
one general Reason has prevailed with me more than any other Thing, and that was,
an Absolute Fear to send a Paper from this House, so much infected as it is, to any
Person lyable to take the Distemper but especially to you. I am infected myself, and
every Room in the House, has infected People in it, so that there is real Danger,
in Writing.

However I will write now, and thank you for yours of Yesterday.1 Mr. Ayers told you the Truth. I was comfortable, and have never been otherwise. I
believe, None of the Race of Adam, ever passed the small Pox, with fewer Pains, Achs,
Qualms, or with less smart than I have done. I had no Pain in my Back, none in my
side, none in my Head. None in my Bones or Limbs, no reching or vomiting or sickness.
A short shivering Fit, and a succeeding hot glowing Fit, a Want of Appetite, and a
general Languor, were all the symptoms that { 40 } ushered into the World, all the small Pox, that I can boast of, which are about Eight
or Ten, (for I have not yet counted them exactly) two of which only are in my Face,
the rest scattered at Random over my Limbs and Body. They fill very finely and regularly,
and I am as well, tho not so strong, as ever I was in my Life. My Appetite has returned,
and is quick enough and I am returning gradually to my former
Method of Living.

Very nearly the same may be said of my Brother excepting that, he looks leaner than
I, and that he had more sickness and Head Ach about the Time of the Eruption than
I.

Such We have Reason to be thankful has been our Felicity. And that of Deacon Palmers
Children has been, nearly the same. But others in the same House have not been so
happy—pretty high Fevers, and severe Pains, and a pretty Plentiful Eruption has been
the Portion of Three at last2 of our Companions. I join with you sincerely in your Lamentation that you were not
inoculated. I wish to God the Dr. would sett up an Hospital at Germantown, and inoculate
you. I will come and nurse you, nay I will go with you to the Castle or to Point Shirley,
or any where and attend you. You say rightly safety there is not, and I say, safety
there never will be. And Parents must be lost in Avarice or Blindness, who restrain
their Children.

I believe there will be Efforts to introduce Inoculation at Germantown, by Drs. Lord
and Church.

However, be carefull of taking the Infection unawares. For all the Mountains of Peru
or Mexico I would not, that this Letter or any other Instrument should convey the
Infection to you at unawares.

[salute] I hope soon to see you, mean time write as often as possible to yrs.,

[signed] John Adams

P.S. Dont conclude from any Thing I have written that I think Inoculation a light
matter.—A long and total Abstinence from every Thing in Nature that has any Taste,
Two heavy Vomits, one heavy Cathartick, four and twenty Mercurial and Antimonial Pills,
and Three Weeks close Confinement to an House, are, according to my Estimation of
Things, no small matters.—However, who would not chearfully submit to them rather
than pass his whole Life in continual Fears, in subjection, under Bondage.

Sylvia and Myra send Compliments.

RC (Adams Papers); Tr (Adams Papers, Lb/JA/26); in hand of William Cranch Greenleaf, doubtless made in 1829 for JQA. RC lacks any indication of addressee, and Tr has at foot of text: “To Richard Cranch Germantown.” { 41 } But the editors believe that the original letter was addressed to AA and that the identification of the addressee as Cranch in LbC is a faulty and not uncharacteristic conjecture by JQA. It will be noted that AA's letter which follows appears clearly to be in reply to the present letter.